Would you support legislating a social domain for Canada's indigenous languages withi
- Thread starter Machjo
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Knowing an extra language is already a tie-breaker, without any kind of legislative interference.
No, I'm not saying that they would need to abandon their culture to be anything else... far from it. But, I shouldn't have to learn another language to access my local government. That WOULD cost me as far as I understand your argument.
You talk about government rules to make this happen. That requires meetings, money, time... trust me when I tell you it costs the tax payer. Which is ridiculous when it's something that already gives people hiring priority. In our local governments people who can work in areas of outreach with the native communities, people who can speak the language, already are well qualified without needing your proposed 'help'.
I agree, but this would simply state that unless there's a valid reason to consider another language more useful, then the local indigenous language would have to take priority.
I acknowledge that this advantage would be ever so slight as to make little difference on its own in protecting Canada's indigenous languages, but in combination with the protection offered already, it might be just enough to at least slow down the gradual decline of those languages, which is still better than nothing.
Well, knowing the dominant local language would still be part of the job requirement. No official document would have to be written in the local indigenous language. In fact, there'd be no guarantee that they'd even use the language in the government except in rare cases where it just so happens that aeveryone in a particular office happens to know the local indigenous language, in which case they'd be free to use it among themselves in their conversations if they wish.
So you as a resident looking for local government services woudl not even notice the effects of this policy. Its sole objective of this policy would be to increae the market value of these languages by just a little.
THat's not what you talk about in your 'proposal'. You talk about a social domain. Now you're backtracking to just giving people with a second language hiring priority, which already happens, especially if it's a locally relevant language, which already happens. But you want the added cost of actually legislating it.
This is the part I disagree with. I don't see the point in a program that has no real benefit. I don't think it's better than nothing. I think token measures like that which are great for making people feel good about themselves, but don't actually impact the people they are supposed to help are just offensive.
Your right. I didn't explain myself well, and I apologize for that. I was thinking that with such a proposal, that maybe if local government could become a domain reserved for indigenous languages in the long run. But now if no money is spent on it and all it does is give hiring priority, then that alone is not likley to have enough teeth to ever make it a true domain. So perhaps all it would do is just increase the number of persons speaking these languages ever so slightly if at all. Over-optimism on my part. You're right, mea culpa.
So then what if we acknowledged that such a policy would really be so toothless as to really serve more of a symbolic purpose than anything else. Even if it didn't cause any major change, still I'd think that such a policy might still raise the prestige value of these languages. The simple fact that such a policy is in the books, even if it's quite toothless overall, might still raise the prestige of these languages enough to counter the psychological impact that past oppression has done to the prestige of these languages. The simple knowledge that such a policy would be in the books might still cause some First Nations to feel that their languages and cultures are in fact valued. It could still serve a psychological purpose. Also, if we consider that many First Nations might have negative memories of their languages being suppressed during their childhood, then local bi-laws raising the status of these languages, however little, might reassure them that the status fo their languages is no longer as it was during the time of the residential schools, reassuring them that the period of oppression is now finally over.
Not all laws have to have a material impact. Sometimes even just the symbolic and psychological impact of the law could help heal wounds and change attitudes. And I'll admit that my own ideas on this proposal have evolved somewhat during our exchanges in this thread. Thanks for that.
I disagree. In some cases it might make a small difference. In those rare occasions when two candidates do have equal qualifications and one of them knows a local indigenous language, then he'd get the job. And stories of the sort spread through local indigenous communities, they'd come to realise that at least on some occasions, even if fes, the local indigenous language can be beneficial beyond the borders of the local reservation.
And again, wven without that, I still believe that we must never ignore the symbolic impact of a law. Sometimes lows of symbolic importance can be just as important as more forceful laws.
I hear you- the big problem nowadays is "fine print" and 99.9% of the time to find out what something is going to cost you or not going to cost you, you have to read through a bushel of fine print and most times when someone else approaches you with a good idea, it's generally good for the guy who's trying to sell the idea and sometimes when the intentions are all honourable, something doesn't go as planned and it winds up costing you anyway. That's why I NEVER buy anything unless I initiate the transaction. Don't want to throw cold water on anything, but 99.9% of the time when I'm asked to approve or vote for somethign the answer is NO.
This is pathatic.
I read your proposal, and I don't agree. I might possibly agree if there is a highly populated area wherein the language was spoken AND the position involved working with those people.